I took some time out earlier this summer to go along to Cork Chamber’s 2016 Forum entitled, ‘The Power of You’, which looked at the benefits and importance of well-being in the workplace.
We heard from expert speakers including Mental Health champion & TV Personality, Niall ‘Bressie’ Breslin; World Champion and Olympic athlete, Olive Loughnane; Cork Football Performance Coach and Partner at Gazing Performance Systems, Conor McCarthy; Nutritionist, Lucy Hyland; and executive business coach, Barbara Nugent about the importance of Food, Fitness, and Focus and how making small changes can greatly enhance the professional performance of individuals and teams.
There were a few things that stuck with me after the morning session, and if I’m feeling overwhelmed or stressed out now, which I’m sure many of you feel every so often, I bear these in mind.
They’re worth considering, so take a look and see what you think:
- Conor discussed how multitasking is myth! The maximum number of things your brain can really focus on is three to four at any one time, so do just that, and stay on task.
- Olive recommended spending at least 150 minutes on moderate exercise, or 75 minutes on high intensity exercise per week. This may seem like a lot, but when Olive put it in terms of taking this time out of the 144 hours there are in a week, it doesn’t seem like so much, and your excuse is just invalid!
- Lucy reminded us that we all have the ability to make choices and we all have the ability to choose the things we control. It’s up to you to decide for yourself, so make sure you do.
- Bressie spoke about how we should approach our brain and mental health in the same way as physical fitness, and understand that training takes years! He shared his five tips for creating a positive mindset and suggested trying them out for ten days;
These were:
- Limit/ avoid toxic people and environments
- Practice self-compassion – say one thing you’ve done that day that you’re proud of
- Gratitude – every morning before you hop out of bed, in your mind say 30 things that you’re thankful for
- Mindfulness – have 30 mindful moments each day
- Stop judging people!
Realise the Power Of You, and appreciate that you have that power!
Alison O’Brien
Alison O’Brien is an Account Director with Fuzion PR & Marketing, who have offices in Dublin and Cork, Ireland
